Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #93

Welcome to the weekly Free Movement newsletter! 

Last week the Guardian reported that 23,500 families had their child benefit stopped because they relied on data provided by the Home Office indicating that those people had emigrated. This includes families who had travelled via Dublin, people who had booked but not taken flights, as well as those denied boarding. The Information Commissioner’s Office has some questions for HMRC.

It is pretty wild to me (and I’m sure most of you) that anyone at HMRC thought that using Home Office data to cancel people’s entitlement to child benefit was a good idea. The problems with Home Office record keeping when it comes to immigration are really well known by now. I mean, presumably those at HMRC have heard of Windrush. There was an ICIBI inspection of exit checks specifically in 2018 which highlighted problems with data quality as well as gaps in data. It is unclear what if any progress has been since then. Someone has some serious explaining to do.

In other news, last week the government announced its intention to expand the use of unsuitable and harmful types of asylum accommodation such as disused barracks, despite the fact that this also costs more, on the basis that “quelling public disquiet was worth any extra cost”. This seems to ignore the ongoing far right protests outside the existing barracks which have been going on for over five years now. Any new locations will simply become further targets for protests, and the expansion of these types of sites will mean a corresponding expansion in legal challenges and damages for the harm caused to people.

On Free Movement, there are two immigration lawyers who have recently been issued with “show cause” orders by the Upper Tribunal relating to use of AI in appeals. When I started writing that piece I only knew about one of those cases, but I was already aware of the AI legal hallucinations database (linked to at the beginning of my post). 

I went to check that the database had logged the first case and as I did so I saw that there was another UK immigration case in there. I think much of what is in this article about opposing AI in academia can be applied to the legal profession as well. “Inevitable” for some – maybe, but certainly not for everyone.

Today’s post is a case to watch as permission has been granted in a challenge to the Home Office’s eVisa policy. We also had this useful briefing on what to do when you are applying to come to the UK but cannot enrol your biometrics for safety reasons.

It was a fairly busy week generally, so for everything else on Free Movement and elsewhere, read on.

Cheers, Sonia

What we’re reading

Kavin came here to work. He ended up a modern slave. – openDemocracy, 31 October

The coming collapse in immigration to the United Kingdom – UK in a Changing Europe, 29 October

Thousands of families at risk of separation under UK’s proposed refugee family reunion changes, British Red Cross finds – British Red Cross, 29 October 2025

Inquiry into conditions at Manston asylum centre has stalled, critics say – The Guardian, 29 October

More than 50 child asylum seekers still missing after disappearing from Kent care – The Guardian, 1 November

Teenager from Gaza ‘stuck in hell’ after being prevented from joining mother in UK – The Guardian, 28 October

UK rule change allows some Palestinian scholars to bring families from Gaza – The Guardian, 30 October

The government isn’t cancelling all graduate visas – Full Fact, 29 October

Journalists outline MOD secrecy in Afghan data breach – UK Defence Journal, 27 October

At least 49 relatives and colleagues of Afghans in data leak have been killed, study suggests – The Guardian, 27 October

Vietnamese arrivals in UK by irregular means will be fast-tracked for deportation, says No 10 – The Guardian, 29 October